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Do ESL TikTok videos have any grounding in ESL teaching research or practice?
"Chunk Theory" and Langauge learning:
In 1997 Michael Lewis' flagship work "The Lexical Approach" presented a radical idea in language learning. Language, he hypothesized, is not best described as a structural system into which individual words are slotted (Thornbury). Rather, "language consists of chunks which, when combined, produce continuous coherent text’ (Lewis, 1997: 7).
Grammatical systems are present in English, to be sure, but they do not account for the many isolated usage rules our students encounter daily. Why can an infinitive verb be used after "like" and "love", while "enjoy" can only take a gerund form? (We can't say "I enjoy to run"). Why do we "make" noise, or "do" a report? How can we account systematically for the multiple meanings and usage rules of phrasal verbs such as "make up" or "take off"?
The truth is that native English speakers learn these usage rules through brief, repeated exposure to new chunks of language. As their language develops, they absorb not just new words, but new idioms, collocations, phrasal verbs, preposition uses, etc. Sometimes, attention is paid to how these newly acquired chunks fit into the "system", but in general, this is not the case, either because it simply isn't necessary for correct usage, or because there is no systematic explanation.
We should expect our second language learners to acquire language in the same way.
TikTok, Micro-learning, and Nano-Learning:
A parallel development to TikTok has been the introduction of "nano-learning" in many adult continuing education professions. An experimental approach, nano-learning attempts to educate learners through two-minute prerecorded segments, followed by brief, effective assessments. (Devishobha) Most units are 5 - 7 sessions long, meaning that the learning experience takes place in as little as fifteen minutes.
Educational TikTok videos have high effective potential precisely because of their short length, and their generally engaging style. There is little opportunity to get lost in a lesson that is laser-focused on its outcome precisely because it is, on average, 20 - 60 seconds long. Yes, brevity does not guarantee effectiveness, but with a laser focus on short, attainable goals, educational TikTok videos have incredible potential for high-impact language learning.
Sources and Suggested Reading:
Devishobha, Chandra, Why Micro and Nano-learning are the New Hot Trends in Learning Edcircuit.com, 18 May 2021, https://edcircuit.com/why-micro-and-nano-learning-are-the-new-hot-trends-in-learning/#:~:text=Microlearning%20Vs.,and%20attain%20learning%20objectives%20quickly. Accessed 29 Apr 2022
Thornbury, Scott. Learning Language in Chunks. Part of the Cambridge Papers in ELT series. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2019
Lewis, M. Implementing the Lexical Approach. Hove: Language Teaching Publications. 1997
Khalief Zuheir N, Salha Soheil, "Using TikTok in Education: A form of Microlearning or Nano-learning?" Interdisciplinary Journal of Virtual Learning in Medical Science 2021; Vol. 12, No. 3
Bernard Ining, Audrey A, Lensa: Kajian Kebahasaan Kesusastraan, dan Budaya, "Expanding ESL Students vocabulary through TikTok Videos." Vol. 11 No. 2, July-December 2021, Page.171-184
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